Currently Reading / Just Read (Books/stories/whatever)

Postby **locke** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 3:16 am

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

This is a truly amazing, at times mind-boggling true story. From the description of cervical cancer therapy in the 1950s, to the development of cell culture, to the history of the (ongoing) exploitation and theft of the Lackses' genetic material which is tied up in the rather more sadly typical exploitation of African Americans. The immense heartbreak, stress, ignorance and misunderstandings caused for the family, and the callous disregard of science to their plight. Just as disturbing is the unscientific closing of ranks (basically plugging ears and screaming I can't hear you) when worldwide systemic contamination became evident, the forcible injection of cancer cells into people told they were being tested for cancer just to see what would happen (it's ethical because it was american scientists, not german ones!), and courts ruling people do not have property rights to their own bodies/cells, and I'm not even halfway through the book yet.

Just a tremendous, fascinating look at science, culture, ethics and general morality.

On the other hand we did get the polio vaccine and most cancer drugs currently on the market due to the theft of Henrietta Lacks' genetic material without her consent.

On the other hand the family has never been compensated a penny from the trillions of dollars in profits made from her.

Postby **Eaquae Legit** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 11:13 pm

I'm re-reading the Lord of the Rings for the first time in ages. I will quite often pick it up and read a favourite passage or chapter, but I haven't read it start to finish in a while. I appreciate it even more now.

Having a deeper understanding of the source material Tolkien was working with, not only in terms of plot, but also style and genre, I find it more and more brilliant. It's NOT meant to be a fantasy novel, although that is generally what our modern tastes expect, so it falls flat if you try to approach it that way. It's a history, and even moreso an epic, and Tolkien was faithful to the classical conventions.

I remember so much why I loved the first LOTR movie, and why the second one I can barely stand to watch. In the first movie, there are so many little moments, homages to Tolkien's prose and storytelling, it's wonderful. They threw all of that out the window for the second movie, and it feels like a bait-and-switch. (The third movie I find "eh.")

Postby **locke** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 4:19 am

I know, that was one of the realizations I had when I took a class on epics in college (didn't really realize that was what it was) and we read the Aeneid, Ovid, Orlando Furioso, Paradise Lost, Much Ado, Midsummer, Hamlet and a few other little things. by the time we were halfway through Orlando Furioso I was giddy with the feeling that this was the sort of thing Tolkien was trying to write. especially as the prof often pointed out how Ovid was rewriting Aeneus, Ariosto was rewriting them both and Milton and Shakespeare were reworking the prior authors for their own purposes. I feel that Tolkien picked up this tradition and continued it in a magnificent contemporary and coherent manner (though Silmarillion more resembles the fragmented Metamorphoses than the more through line narrative of LotR). I remember one meeting with the professor where I was trying to explain this and she started talking about Eowyn as a reworking of Bradamante.

Apparantly (and I just found this out this year) that is a particular comparison that Tolkien vehemently denied and apparently he didn't care for his work being compared to Ariostos, which I find curious, possibly becuase the myths he was working with were so different culturally from the mediterranean traditions, even as both the Nordic and Celtic legends held similar structures and traditions. So despite the fact that he didn't want to be compared to that tradition, I think it fits in with it rather well.

I also love the first movie best, but the second and third were also terrific, but in different ways. I like that Two Towers becomes more meditative on setbacks and sacrifice, I think it sets up well the fatalism of Frodo's quest, something Sam's naivete doesn't pick up on. I like that Return of the King more successfully parallels the journeys into the underworld with Aragorn disappearing with the ghosts cutting to Frodo and Sam descending into Mordor (iirc) and I think that's a particularly nice element of Tolkien's work as well, by separating the hero into two figures (more like Ariosto's Orlando and Ruggiero in that respect) he gets to explore more elements of the sacrifice and ascension following the classical underworld journey. Okay... dammit I'm going to write for an hour if I get going, so I'm going to cut myself off.

I don't particularly care for any of the expanded editions as I think the theatrical versions were better movies.

Postby **Eaquae Legit** » Fri Sep 10, 2010 3:53 pm

Hahaha, you have way more specifics than I do! Although with Hamlet, Much Ado, etc., it may have been more of an anti-Shakes thing than any sort of homage - Tolkien hated Shakespeare. Eowyn's source is Tolkien's hate for the pathetic prophecy-fulfillment in Macbeth. "Can't be killed by man of woman born" would be better fulfilled by making the loophole a woman, rather than a c-section. Same with the Ents ("till Byrnam Wood comes to Dunsinane").

Regardless, I still hate the second movie. It might be decent in its own right, if it were any other story. But not Lord of the Rings. All the reasons I loved the first movie, like its joy in its source material, are missing from the second. It's just like Jackson missed the whole point of Faramir (or Galadriel, but that's my main beef with the first movie). Or of Aragorn, really. Peter Jackson didn't understand epic in the classical sense, and it really shows in the second movie.

And it's all so much more disappointing because of how wonderful the first film was.

I'm now almost to the end of The Two Towers, and it's still as good as I remembered.

Postby **locke** » Fri Sep 10, 2010 8:38 pm

my biggest problem with fellowship movie is that Galadrial seems more like the eroticized cuckoo version of Galadrial from Bored of the Rings than Tolkien's regal elf. I honestly cringe every single time at the sheer awfulness of the "INSTEAD OF THE DARK LORD YOU WOULD HAVE A QUEEN!" scene--no matter how many times I see the film. Just like I unfailingly cringe every time at Frodo waking up at the end of Return of the King (honestly the laughing scene of idiocy sours even the you bow to no one scene, for me). Two Towers doesn't really have any cringe moments, except with the Ent Draughts scene in the extended version. Faramir never bothered me nearly as much as not having Shelob in Two Towers. But I understand the necessity, structurally. if you cut the Scouring of the Shire, that leaves almost no story for Frodo and Sam in Return of the King, other than dumping the ring, but considering the amount of stuff that the Gondor side of the story has to accomplish it would make balancing the simultaneous stories incredibly difficult. So you need to add to the Frodo Sam story, and the first thing to do would be to pull the shelob encounter forward into Return of the King. That works greatly to balance out the absence of the Scouring, but it leaves Frodo and Sam's story now too short to sustain balancing with the various threads of Two Towers' narrative. on the other hand, here, it works to develop Gollum and that story so you don't really touch the first two thirds of Frodo and Sam's journey, so you kind of reach the point of encountering Faramir and realize that if you're going to add scenes to pad out Frodo's storyline, this is where it has to happen. Unfortunately, making that encounter longer requires fundamentally changing his character. And by changing his character to make the same decision as Boromir you kind of make encountering him in the first place pretty damn pointless. The only plus here is that for people who have not read the books, Faramir is better set up as a sympathetic figure when he contrasts with Denethor. I think they did an alright job with it, but then I barely remembered Faramir from the books when I saw the movie. I had a vague memory that Boromir had a younger brother who didn't like his Dad but was a lot more noble than Boromir. But that was it. To me, the frustrating part of Two Towers was the loss of Shelob.

one of my favorite stories about Tolkien is that he basically created the Ents because he was so pissed off at Shakespeare for the Birnam Wood to Dunsinane charade.

it's one of those great stories like how he always hated spiders because a giant tarantula bit him when he was five and living in South Africa with his parents. :-p

one of my favorite Tolkien quotes is when someone asked him about why he wrote Lord of the rings and he said "to catch a breath, a beat, a lifting of the heart, and to have the fun of playing a linguistic game."

Gravity Defier · Postby **Gravity Defier** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 10:05 pm

Comic Fairy One failed me after the next 5 issues of Y: The Last Man from the ones I had in book form but Comic Fairy Two came through spectacularly and as a result, I've spent most of today reading through the next 20 issues as I came in and out of my room. I love it to pieces and am going to be very sad when I finish. It's any wonder I got anything else done today but I made time for dishes, Wii, food, and now dogs.

I've also checked out Gone by Michael Grant, a YA novel in which anyone 15+ years old vanishes into thin air one day, and have The Knife of Never Letting Go taking its sweet time in transit to my library (but I know it's on the way!), also a YA novel.

I have to say, most unashamedly, that YA fiction is my favorite. More than adult fiction, more than children's fiction. And I consider fiction heads and shoulders above most NF for fun reading, so there you have it.

Postby **Luet** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:07 am

Alea, can you (or Jan if you read this) post some of your favorite YA novels? I have no idea where to start. I've really only read The Hunger Games trilogy.

Young Val · Postby **Young Val** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:21 am

Nomi,

I hope you don't mind me jumping in with some recommendations; I love YA.

I'm not sure if you are looking specifically for YA fantasy/sci-fi or just general Young Adult books. I'll put an asterix next to those that fall into the fantasy/sci-fi genre.

PAPER TOWNS by John Green

SHIVER* by Maggie Stiefvater

A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY* by Libbra Bray (This is the first of a trilogy and the only one I've read thus far).

LIFE AS WE KNEW IT*, THE DEAD AND THE GONE*, and THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN* by Susan Beth Pfeffer (these are Writers House books -- I worked on them!)

Those are just a few off the top of my head. I'll post more when I get a chance!

Postby **Jayelle** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:29 am

I like MT Anderson's Thirsty, and I've been meaning to read more by that author. I have enjoyed the Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series, but it is quite silly (nothing at all like Hunger Games!). Gail Carson Levine is also a great author- she wrote Ella Enchanted (which is a great book and movie - but the book is quite different), as well as others in the fantasy/fairy tale genre. And I couldn't get away without recommending (Newberry Winning!) Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

I finally read Hunger Games and Catching Fire this week (pretty much burned through them in a couple of days). They are pretty good. Man, Stephanie Meyer should take notes on how to write a love triangle. I am seriously undecided for who Katniss should end up with. There's lots to that novel, but I am convinced it's the best execution of a love triangle I've seen in a good long while. The second book had moments that bugged me a bit (really? Hunger Games again?), but I am excited to read Mockingjay when it comes in at the library.

Rei · Postby **Rei** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 10:41 am

I quite love Garth Nix's SABRIEL and its sequels, LIRAEL and ABHORSEN.

Postby **Luet** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:22 pm

Thank you guys for the recs! Of course I would love your suggestions, Kelly.

I prefer general YA fiction or sci fi, rather than fantasy. I'm not so much into the vampires and werewolves genres. What is Hunger Games considered? Dystopian fiction? I guess I like that. I'll check out the titles you guys mentioned.

Gravity Defier · Postby **Gravity Defier** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:37 pm

I tend to stick to SF/F with some historical (very loosely using that term) fiction sprinkled in from time to time.

Jumper - Steven Gould
Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate - Stroud
Alanna, In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Lioness Rampant - Tamora Pierce
Stravaganza: City of Masks - Mary Hoffman (a series, only read book one)
Shade's Children - Nix
Uglies series - Westerfield is decent

Diana Wynn Jones is pretty popular, although I've read two things by her and I can't remember how much I liked the stories.

Shannon Hale's Princess Academy was fun.

I'll second the Georgia Nicholson series (what I've read, anyway), but as Jan said, that is some serious fluff, and I'll second GCL, though I'll add in that I feel her stories are interesting but the prose can sometimes feel just dumbed down enough to irritate me.

If you don't mind crack, Cabot is light, fun, and quick. If the Princess Diaries series is too much, her Nikki trilogy has a SF bend, written in her typical fluff style, of course.

I wasn't a fan of Graveyard Book (which might say something about my taste in books) but I really enjoyed Stardust.

megxers · Postby **megxers** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:39 pm

I'd consider Hunger Games dystopian YA. I am also not a fantasy fan--though, as my to-be read pile shrinks, I have a high proportion of fantasy books left to try...so I will soon have no choice but to try.

I mean, I haven't even read LOTR.

And gosh, the books mentioned so far are only confirming my lack of love for YA. Though I did put a few YA ones on hold at the library because I keep trying to convince myself I will like it. (And boo, no September releases are in the system yet, nor is All Clear!!)

I also finally got bit by the Stieg Larsson bug..and read Girl with the Dragon tattoo yesterday afternoon....

Postby **Luet** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 5:18 pm

I have read the LotR series but I did not enjoy it. I think that was more about the writing style than the fact that it was fantasy. For me, Tolkien is the fantasy version of Dickens, who I also don't enjoy.

Postby **locke** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:24 pm

I really like some of the YA books in established series, sometimes better than regular series entries:

The Harper Hall trilogy, Anne McCaffrey
Dragonsong
Dragonsinger
Dragon Drums

and the Tiffany Aching books by Terry Pratchett:
The Wee Free Men
A Hat Full of Sky
Wintersmith
I Shall Wear Midnight

Harper Hall is about a girl, Menolly, who is in a restrictive society that is embarassed she's gotten an education and is good at music, the first book deals with her rebellions and attempts to find freedom for herself in society.

The Tiffany Aching books are about young Tiffany Aching, a witch/witch in training girl who is very practical and responsible to the point of painfulness and also incredibly bright, self reliant, witty, and shrewd. In the first book she befriends the Nac Mac Feegle (like Scottish Smurfs who swear a lot and whose primary sport is fighting and stealing, they believe the world is so wonderful they must already be in the afterlife) who help her mount a rescue attempt to save her brother and the local prince who have been kidnapped by the queen of Faerie, her weapon of choice is a cast iron frying pan. For Pratchett, of course, most witchcraft is headology and service, but more magic gets mixed in as Tiffany matures and grows. the best of the lot is Hatfull of Sky, which is just an utterly beautiful, poignant story that hits me hard every time I read it.

Oh and Pratchett's books are also immensely funny if you like clever british humour.

steph · Postby **steph** » Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:03 pm

Alea, can you (or Jan if you read this) post some of your favorite YA novels? I have no idea where to start. I've really only read The Hunger Games trilogy.

I keep meaning to post, but I keep forgetting. I have a friend that reviews mostly YA fiction on her blog. If you're interested, pm me and I'll send you the link.

Young Val · Postby **Young Val** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:26 am

I just finished Barbara Kingsolver's ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MIRACLE.

I'm now half-way through IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote.

Postby **Jayelle** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:21 am

I just finished Barbara Kingsolver's ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MIRACLE.

I ordered it from the library when you mentioned it on your blog! Is it quite good?

Young Val · Postby **Young Val** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:30 am

It's different than I expected it to be, but I really, really enjoyed it.

Postby **locke** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 4:52 pm

In Cold Blood is an utterly mesmerizing read, do yourself a favor and rent the movie as soon as finish the book it's a phenomenal film. then rent Capote as well. (actually I think the bluray is a double feature of those two).

I finished I Shall Wear Midnight earlier this week, it is one of Pratchett's best books, and because I've got time at the moment, and feel in a ranking mood I'm gonna rank the top ten Pratchett I've read.

1. Nation (non Discworld and absolutely one of the best books of the last decade, up there with the Harry Potter books, Shadow of the Wind and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell)
2. Night Watch
3. Small Gods
4. A Hat Full of Sky
5. The Truth
6. Hogfather
7. Men at Arms
8. I Shall Wear Midnight
9. The Thief of Time
10. Eric

Postby **Luet** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:07 pm

Kel, I just finished Life as We Knew It and have the next two on order from the library. I liked it!

Young Val · Postby **Young Val** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:11 pm

Awesome! LIFE AS WE KNEW IT is one of the first books I worked on after my career took off. I was fortunate to cut my teeth on some great little books. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

CezeN · Postby **CezeN** » Sat Sep 18, 2010 5:44 pm

Kant's Critique of Practical Reason.

...Ugh v.v

Paul · Postby **Paul** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 3:25 pm

Well, just finished the last Void book by peter hamilton. Great space opera. Highly requimend this authors books.

Next on my list. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.

zeroguy · Postby **zeroguy** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 8:31 pm

Alea, can you (or Jan if you read this) post some of your favorite YA novels? I have no idea where to start. I've really only read The Hunger Games trilogy.

I know I'm late here, but John Steakley's Armor is YA, right? I just want to mention that yet again.

Incidentally and thread-related-ly, I just re-read it last week.

human. · Postby **human.** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:54 pm

I just re-picked up my copy of Quantum Legacy, and want to try and get through the whole book this time. I just wish I could actually get myself to use my time wisely here.

Postby **Luet** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:48 am

I have read Armor. It was okay but a little more action oriented than I like. It seemed like more of a guy-style book to me.

Gravity Defier · Postby **Gravity Defier** » Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:27 pm

I'm a pretty slow reader to begin with but add in all the distractions and I've had an especially slow month. I'm currently working my way through The Ask and the Answer, book two in the Chaos Walking series (of which The Knife of Never Letting Go is book one). Don't let my working through it so slowly suggest anything, as it's a gripping book that simply makes me too anxious to sit and read for long stretches. I consider this a good sign with some books and this is one of them. We don't have book three in the library system and it's too new to ILL, so I may break down and buy it when I finish this.

It surprises me in how brutal some of the characters are, how true to human nature it seems to get, how familiar the thinking process feels having seen it as the way most of the story is told (through the thoughts of two characters). So far, a phenomenal story.

Up next is Cornelia Funke's Juv-Fiction, Reckless.

Mich · Postby **Mich** » Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:16 pm

I'm quite upset that the Multnomah county library only has one copy of Cryptonomicon. At my currently leisurely pace, I'm only about 1/3 through it (it's pretty big, in my defense), and my time is up, and it has holds. Many holds. It took me three months to get it.

I guess I'll just have to buy my own. Darn. To Powell's!

Rei · Postby **Rei** » Wed Oct 20, 2010 12:02 am

I'm now at the tail end of a major Jasper Fforde kick. I just have to finish FOURTH BEAR to be finally almost entirely caught up on his books (barring the latest Thursday Next book which I will read when we're passing through Ontario).

After this I need a break, and that may take the form of GOOD OMENS.

Postby **Eaquae Legit** » Wed Oct 20, 2010 12:08 am

Still reading LOTR (a page at a time in the bathroom). Still loving it so much. I think I'll go through the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales after.

Postby **Dr. Mobius** » Wed Oct 20, 2010 6:49 pm

I picked up The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss at B&N today after a friend recommended it to me. Has anyone here read it? From what I've heard it's supposed to be one of the best fantasy novels written in recent years and the beginning of a series.

Postby **Dr. Mobius** » Mon Oct 25, 2010 12:35 pm

*shameless doublepost*

The Name of the Wind is awesome! I don't want to spoil anything by trying to describe it (and I generally suck at descriptions anyway), so suffice it to say that this is the quickest I've devoured a book since the first time I picked up Ender's Game way back when.

Now I need to find something else to read until the second book is released in March.

Postby **Jayelle** » Mon Oct 25, 2010 1:16 pm

All Clear by Connie Willis was released last Tuesday, but my pre-order copy isn't in yet. Booooooooooo.
Stupid island.

Postby **Luet** » Mon Oct 25, 2010 2:16 pm

My copy of All Clear came in at the exact same time as another book. AND I'm in the middle of reading ANOTHER book. Bad timing!

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